XV: Followers of Saint Francis 



SOME years ago when friends were young and 

 found a bravery in bluntness, there was one 

 who objected frankly to my character. It was, 

 she said, too amiably rounded. It had no corners. 

 In its adjustment to a convex world, it had 

 become concave; and the Olympian serenity 

 which its amplitude suggested might just as well 

 be termed a stodgy calm. I think she even added 

 that mine was a lowly nature, that it hugged the 

 ground, and basked in mellow simlight, looking 

 never so absurdly bland as in a time of storm. 

 [261] 



